Posts by Stephen Pollardhttp://www.thejc.com/user/feed/109
RSS feed of user postsenA better way to report the views of British Jews http://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/128163/a-better-way-report-views-british-jews
<p>One of the frustrations for anyone working in the Jewish community is that it has been impossible to provide a reliable snapshot of opinion on any given subject. What were our views of the Gaza war last summer? Do we think shechita is under threat? Have we experienced antisemitism? The list of issues on which it would be invaluable to know what Jews think is almost endless.</p>
<p>Until now, pollsters have been unable to reach a sufficient number to make any survey representative. Given the small size of our community it has been too labour intensive, and thus too costly, to be realistic. Various attempts have been made to work around this, with internet questionnaires the most common - such as this week's by the Campaign Against Antisemitism. But none of them are representative, not least because respondents are self-selecting and do not meet the statistical standards demanded by the polling industry body, the British Polling Council.</p>
<p>All that has now changed.</p>
<p>For the past few months, the JC has been working with the polling company Survation, who have been building an extensive targeted database of thousands of Jews across the UK who can be randomly contacted for polling. Thanks to newly developed techniques, unique to Survation, we now have access to the first ever polling database of British Jews. For this week’s poll, over 90% of responses were collected by telephone. A small number of respondents were initially contacted by telephone but chose to submit their responses online.</p>
<p>We had planned to release details of this breakthrough towards the end of the month and to begin with a poll of over 1,000 respondents – the standard number we will be using. But events in Paris meant that it made sense to use it this week to ask how safe we feel. That poll is presented above, but due to time constraints has 550 respondents.</p>
<p>We now have access to a tool that will enable us to report, with real reliability, the representative views of British Jews. It is an exciting opportunity.</p>UK newsJewish life128163story

128162JC poll reveals 88 per cent of British Jews have not considered leaving UK
One of the frustrations for anyone working in the Jewish community is that it has been impossible to provide a reliable snapshot of opinion on any given subject. What were our views of the Gaza war last summer? Do we think shechita is under threat? Have we experienced antisemitism? The list of issues on which it would be invaluable to know what Jews think is almost endless.
Until now, pollsters have been unable to reach a sufficient number to make any survey representative. Given the small size of our community it has been too labour intensive, and thus too costly, to be realistic. Various attempts have been made to work around this, with internet questionnaires the most common - such as this week's by the Campaign Against Antisemitism. But none of them are representative, not least because respondents are self-selecting and do not meet the statistical standards demanded by the polling industry body, the British Polling Council.
All that has now changed.
For the past few months, the JC has been working with the polling company Survation, who have been building an extensive targeted database of thousands of Jews across the UK who can be randomly contacted for polling. Thanks to newly developed techniques, unique to Survation, we now have access to the first ever polling database of British Jews. For this week’s poll, over 90% of responses were collected by telephone. A small number of respondents were initially contacted by telephone but chose to submit their responses online.
We had planned to release details of this breakthrough towards the end of the month and to begin with a poll of over 1,000 respondents – the standard number we will be using. But events in Paris meant that it made sense to use it this week to ask how safe we feel. That poll is presented above, but due to time constraints has 550 respondents.
We now have access to a tool that will enable us to report, with real reliability, the representative views of British Jews. It is an exciting opportunity.
Wed, 14 Jan 2015 16:59:36 +0000Stephen Pollard128163 at http://www.thejc.comOpera: Tristan und Isoldehttp://www.thejc.com/arts/music/126698/opera-tristan-und-isolde
<p>I first heard Tristan und Isolde 29 years ago, with Reginald Goodall conducting at the ENO. Those performances set a high bar – they were so all-encompassing that I was unable to listen to music for weeks afterwards and, to this day, I can recall the impact. So it's high praise to say that the current run of performances at the ROH are, by quite a long way, the best I have heard since Goodall's. On this evidence, Antonio Pappano is inspired in Wagner. This was a Tristan that was not merely transcendent and shimmering in its beauty; it had pace, power and impact. And the orchestra was world-class, as ever at the ROH.</p>
<p>Nina Stemme is the Isolde of one's dreams. I have never heard a more purely beautiful Isolde before - she produces sounds that would have thrilled Wagner himself. And what heft! She is also a fine actress, riveting in an almost Bergman-esque way. Stephen Gould's Tristan may be less striking to look at, but his singing is also very fine. And Sarah Connolly's Brangange is as gripping as you would expect from such a wonderful singer.</p>
<p>All in all, this a Tristan that simply has to be seen - and heard.</p>Music126698storyTristan transfixes

I first heard Tristan und Isolde 29 years ago, with Reginald Goodall conducting at the ENO. Those performances set a high bar – they were so all-encompassing that I was unable to listen to music for weeks afterwards and, to this day, I can recall the impact. So it's high praise to say that the current run of performances at the ROH are, by quite a long way, the best I have heard since Goodall's. On this evidence, Antonio Pappano is inspired in Wagner. This was a Tristan that was not merely transcendent and shimmering in its beauty; it had pace, power and impact. And the orchestra was world-class, as ever at the ROH.
Nina Stemme is the Isolde of one's dreams. I have never heard a more purely beautiful Isolde before - she produces sounds that would have thrilled Wagner himself. And what heft! She is also a fine actress, riveting in an almost Bergman-esque way. Stephen Gould's Tristan may be less striking to look at, but his singing is also very fine. And Sarah Connolly's Brangange is as gripping as you would expect from such a wonderful singer.
All in all, this a Tristan that simply has to be seen - and heard.
Thu, 11 Dec 2014 14:13:46 +0000Stephen Pollard126698 at http://www.thejc.comBalotelli: Reaction is both stupid and dangeroushttp://www.thejc.com/comment-and-debate/comment/126354/balotelli-reaction-both-stupid-and-dangerous
<p>Another week, another &quot;football antisemite&quot; exposed.</p>
<p>And another series of outraged comments from our communal leaders.</p>
<p>Last week it was Dave Whelan, the Wigan chairman, who informed a reporter that &quot;Jewish people chase money more than everybody else&quot;, prompting demands that he be ritually defenestrated.</p>
<p>This week, it's Mario Balotelli's turn in the football Hall of Shame after retweeting a picture of &quot;Super Mario&quot; that included the information that he &quot;grabs coins like a Jew&quot;.</p>
<p>Cue mass jumping up and down in outrage. Ban him! Ban him!</p>
<p>But before screaming blue murder and going at full pelt after every supposed miscreant, might it not, for once, be an idea to think first?</p>
<p>Tell me that Dave Whelan, Mario Balotelli and Malky Mackay - the manager who texted that there's &quot;Nothing like a Jew that sees money slipping through his fingers&quot; - are all the same side of the same coin, and all equally deserving of the full weight of our collective outrage, and I'll tell you a name in response: Nicolas Anelka.</p>
<p>Last year, we saw what real and serious antisemitism looks like in football. </p>
<p>We saw a player coolly, calmly and deliberately make the antisemitic quenelle salute, in tribute to the convicted antisemite Dieudonné. And we saw - initially - a pathetic, tardy and weak response from the FA, from his club, and from our own communal bodies.</p>
<p>Eventually, after a campaign by this newspaper, the incident was treated properly and Anelka was dealt with.</p>
<p>If you really think Dave Whelan's stupid remarks are comparable with that then I suggest you develop a sense of proportion.</p>
<p>Whelan's words are the product of an ignorant mind, from a generation that laughed at the word, &quot;Nig Nog&quot; and thought racist sitcoms like Mind Your Language were funny. </p>
<p>But they are no more than that. They are certainly not the words of a man inciting race hate.</p>
<p>As a football club owner, he is rightly subject to the FA's rules about appropriate behaviour. And he should be punished accordingly. But when we weigh in with our own tuppenny's worth, and appear unable to draw a distinction between the antisemitism of Anelka and that of Whelan, then we look - to be blunt - ridiculous.</p>
<p>Bad as that is, however, it is the wisdom of Solomon compared with the reaction to Balotelli's tweet.</p>
<p>Remind yourself what he actually posted. Above the picture of Super Mario are these words: &quot;Be like Mario, he's an Italian plumber, created by Japanese people, who speaks English and looks like a Mexican&quot;.</p>
<p>How can that be interpreted as anything other than an anti-racist invocation? </p>
<p>It's obvious, surely, that Balotelli is being honest when he says in his apology: &quot;The post was meant to be anti-racist with humour&quot;.</p>
<p>It's only with the final words that the tweet collapses into outright racism: &quot;He jumps like a black man and grabs coins like a Jew&quot;.</p>
<p>I don't know what went through his mind when he posted it. But my guess is that he read just the first part, thought it funny, then pressed send. </p>
<p>That's carelessly stupid, and irresponsible, given his status. But it's no more than that.</p>
<p>That explanation, however - or any other - isn't good enough for the brigade that screams &quot;antisemite, ban him&quot; at the first opportunity. </p>
<p>The truth is that none of us knows what makes Mario Balotelli tick. It's certainly been beyond most of his managers to fathom it. </p>
<p>It must surely, though, count for something that the woman he refers to as his mother - actually his foster mother - is Jewish, and he has spoken of his love of the rituals of Judaism.</p>
<p>But for the &quot;ban him!&quot; brigade, any context can go hang. </p>
<p>The fact his tweet contains an antisemitic phrase is itself enough for them to label him as an antisemitic reprobate who should be jumped on from a great height. </p>
<p>On this logic, of course, even though Balotelli is black he is also an anti-black racist - because the tweet is also racist towards blacks.</p>
<p>What a depressing episode. The lesson the community seems to have learned from the initial Anelka debacle is that the correct response to any inappropriate mention of Jews is rent-a-quote outrage. </p>
<p>All that does is devalue the currency of outrage. If we are incapable of making a distinction between a foolish old man spouting drivel, an unthinking retweet and a premeditated act of race hate, then one day we will find out, when something really bad happens, that no one is listening.</p>CommentAntisemitism126354story

126353Antisemitism is racism so it should not be treated as something apart
Another week, another &quot;football antisemite&quot; exposed.
And another series of outraged comments from our communal leaders.
Last week it was Dave Whelan, the Wigan chairman, who informed a reporter that &quot;Jewish people chase money more than everybody else&quot;, prompting demands that he be ritually defenestrated.
This week, it's Mario Balotelli's turn in the football Hall of Shame after retweeting a picture of &quot;Super Mario&quot; that included the information that he &quot;grabs coins like a Jew&quot;.
Cue mass jumping up and down in outrage. Ban him! Ban him!
But before screaming blue murder and going at full pelt after every supposed miscreant, might it not, for once, be an idea to think first?
Tell me that Dave Whelan, Mario Balotelli and Malky Mackay - the manager who texted that there's &quot;Nothing like a Jew that sees money slipping through his fingers&quot; - are all the same side of the same coin, and all equally deserving of the full weight of our collective outrage, and I'll tell you a name in response: Nicolas Anelka.
Last year, we saw what real and serious antisemitism looks like in football.
We saw a player coolly, calmly and deliberately make the antisemitic quenelle salute, in tribute to the convicted antisemite Dieudonné. And we saw - initially - a pathetic, tardy and weak response from the FA, from his club, and from our own communal bodies.
Eventually, after a campaign by this newspaper, the incident was treated properly and Anelka was dealt with.
If you really think Dave Whelan's stupid remarks are comparable with that then I suggest you develop a sense of proportion.
Whelan's words are the product of an ignorant mind, from a generation that laughed at the word, &quot;Nig Nog&quot; and thought racist sitcoms like Mind Your Language were funny.
But they are no more than that. They are certainly not the words of a man inciting race hate.
As a football club owner, he is rightly subject to the FA's rules about appropriate behaviour. And he should be punished accordingly. But when we weigh in with our own tuppenny's worth, and appear unable to draw a distinction between the antisemitism of Anelka and that of Whelan, then we look - to be blunt - ridiculous.
Bad as that is, however, it is the wisdom of Solomon compared with the reaction to Balotelli's tweet.
Remind yourself what he actually posted. Above the picture of Super Mario are these words: &quot;Be like Mario, he's an Italian plumber, created by Japanese people, who speaks English and looks like a Mexican&quot;.
How can that be interpreted as anything other than an anti-racist invocation?
It's obvious, surely, that Balotelli is being honest when he says in his apology: &quot;The post was meant to be anti-racist with humour&quot;.
It's only with the final words that the tweet collapses into outright racism: &quot;He jumps like a black man and grabs coins like a Jew&quot;.
I don't know what went through his mind when he posted it. But my guess is that he read just the first part, thought it funny, then pressed send.
That's carelessly stupid, and irresponsible, given his status. But it's no more than that.
That explanation, however - or any other - isn't good enough for the brigade that screams &quot;antisemite, ban him&quot; at the first opportunity.
The truth is that none of us knows what makes Mario Balotelli tick. It's certainly been beyond most of his managers to fathom it.
It must surely, though, count for something that the woman he refers to as his mother - actually his foster mother - is Jewish, and he has spoken of his love of the rituals of Judaism.
But for the &quot;ban him!&quot; brigade, any context can go hang.
The fact his tweet contains an antisemitic phrase is itself enough for them to label him as an antisemitic reprobate who should be jumped on from a great height.
On this logic, of course, even though Balotelli is black he is also an anti-black racist - because the tweet is also racist towards blacks.
What a depressing episode. The lesson the community seems to have learned from the initial Anelka debacle is that the correct response to any inappropriate mention of Jews is rent-a-quote outrage.
All that does is devalue the currency of outrage. If we are incapable of making a distinction between a foolish old man spouting drivel, an unthinking retweet and a premeditated act of race hate, then one day we will find out, when something really bad happens, that no one is listening.
Thu, 04 Dec 2014 11:26:50 +0000Stephen Pollard126354 at http://www.thejc.comOpera review: Idomeneohttp://www.thejc.com/arts/music/125517/opera-review-idomeneo
<p>Martin Kusej's cult-cum-dictatorship interpretation of Idomeneo was roundly booed on its opening night. But although much of it is rather silly - Arbace wanders around, inexplicably, with an accordion - much of it is rather good. It's thought-provoking to have the chorus singing not in admiration of Idomeneo but compelled by force to do so. And in an opera where some characters - such as Idomeneo - can seem wooden, that's never the case.</p>
<p>Whatever the director's quirks, musically this is a fine production led by Marc Minkowski in the pit. Matthew Polenzani sings the title role with elan and Sophie Bevan's Ilia is compelling. But Malin Byström's Elletra steals the show. Gripping acting and a truly magnificent voice.</p>
<p>But how on earth Franco Fagioli as Idamante was ever engaged is a mystery - quite the worst voice I have ever heard on this stage.</p>Music125517storyQuirks steal the show

Martin Kusej's cult-cum-dictatorship interpretation of Idomeneo was roundly booed on its opening night. But although much of it is rather silly - Arbace wanders around, inexplicably, with an accordion - much of it is rather good. It's thought-provoking to have the chorus singing not in admiration of Idomeneo but compelled by force to do so. And in an opera where some characters - such as Idomeneo - can seem wooden, that's never the case.
Whatever the director's quirks, musically this is a fine production led by Marc Minkowski in the pit. Matthew Polenzani sings the title role with elan and Sophie Bevan's Ilia is compelling. But Malin Byström's Elletra steals the show. Gripping acting and a truly magnificent voice.
But how on earth Franco Fagioli as Idamante was ever engaged is a mystery - quite the worst voice I have ever heard on this stage.
Thu, 13 Nov 2014 13:09:28 +0000Stephen Pollard125517 at http://www.thejc.comFaiths unite in fury over two-religion GCSE planhttp://www.thejc.com/node/123241
<p>Plans by Education Secretary Nicky Morgan to require GCSE religious studies students to learn about two faiths have been delayed following a row between Mrs Morgan and the Communities Secretary, Eric Pickles.</p>
<p>The reform was due to have been announced this week and trumpeted at next week's Conservative Party conference. But following the row - and "heated" opposition from religious groups - plans have been put on hold, although an announcement next week remains possible.</p>
<p>At the moment, schools choose one faith to be studied at GCSE level. But following the scandal over so-called "Trojan horse" Islamist takeovers of some non-faith state schools in Birmingham, Mrs Morgan has decided that the religious studies curriculum should be broadened so that pupils study one other religion in depth, to ensure that pupils become aware of different perspectives. The second religion would account for a third of the course.</p>
<p>But the proposal was met with fury when it was put to religious bodies. According to a source close to the department, "Anglicans, Catholics, Muslims, Jews, Hindus - you name it - they all hate it. We've managed the near-impossible trick of uniting every faith in Britain." </p>
<p>Downing Street is a strong supporter of the plan. Another source said: "The Prime Minister and Theresa May are fully behind the idea. It's become a litmus test for those who 'get it' and those who just aren't interested in tackling extremism."</p>
<p>The Board of Deputies and Chief Rabbi's office were said to have been "particularly heated in their anger" in their private responses to Mrs Morgan. </p>
<p>In a statement this week, the Chief Rabbi said: "I enthusiastically support the government's efforts to ensure British values are taught to all children. Respect for and understanding of other faiths is an important component of this and something that our schools have always taken seriously across the relevant curriculum areas. We all have a responsibility to work together to ensure we maintain an open and tolerant society. </p>
<p>"But forced changes to the Religious Studies GCSE, used as a primary tool for so many to learn about their own faith, is not the right way to achieve these shared goals. "</p>
<p>Gillian Merron, CEO of the Board of Deputies, said: "This proposal will cause immense difficulties, particularly for Orthodox Jewish schools and other faith schools and will not achieve what the government wants, as it would likely cause some schools to drop religious studies as a GCSE completely."</p>
<p>Liberal Judaism, however, has expressed its support. Chief executive Rabbi Danny Rich said: "Schools ought </p>UK newsEducation123241story

Plans by Education Secretary Nicky Morgan to require GCSE religious studies students to learn about two faiths have been delayed following a row between Mrs Morgan and the Communities Secretary, Eric Pickles.
The reform was due to have been announced this week and trumpeted at next week's Conservative Party conference. But following the row - and "heated" opposition from religious groups - plans have been put on hold, although an announcement next week remains possible.
At the moment, schools choose one faith to be studied at GCSE level. But following the scandal over so-called "Trojan horse" Islamist takeovers of some non-faith state schools in Birmingham, Mrs Morgan has decided that the religious studies curriculum should be broadened so that pupils study one other religion in depth, to ensure that pupils become aware of different perspectives. The second religion would account for a third of the course.
But the proposal was met with fury when it was put to religious bodies. According to a source close to the department, "Anglicans, Catholics, Muslims, Jews, Hindus - you name it - they all hate it. We've managed the near-impossible trick of uniting every faith in Britain."
Downing Street is a strong supporter of the plan. Another source said: "The Prime Minister and Theresa May are fully behind the idea. It's become a litmus test for those who 'get it' and those who just aren't interested in tackling extremism."
The Board of Deputies and Chief Rabbi's office were said to have been "particularly heated in their anger" in their private responses to Mrs Morgan.
In a statement this week, the Chief Rabbi said: "I enthusiastically support the government's efforts to ensure British values are taught to all children. Respect for and understanding of other faiths is an important component of this and something that our schools have always taken seriously across the relevant curriculum areas. We all have a responsibility to work together to ensure we maintain an open and tolerant society.
"But forced changes to the Religious Studies GCSE, used as a primary tool for so many to learn about their own faith, is not the right way to achieve these shared goals. "
Gillian Merron, CEO of the Board of Deputies, said: "This proposal will cause immense difficulties, particularly for Orthodox Jewish schools and other faith schools and will not achieve what the government wants, as it would likely cause some schools to drop religious studies as a GCSE completely."
Liberal Judaism, however, has expressed its support. Chief executive Rabbi Danny Rich said: "Schools ought
Tue, 23 Sep 2014 10:36:04 +0000Stephen Pollard123241 at http://www.thejc.comOpera review: Xerxeshttp://www.thejc.com/arts/music/122973/opera-review-xerxes
<p>I've seen Nicholas Hytner's production of Handel's comic opera at least a dozen times since it opened in 1985. And still I don't feel sated. This is simply one of the greatest opera productions - and it changed forever the perception of Handel as an opera composer. From box office death, Handel now almost guarantees a sell out.</p>
<p>This latest revival doesn't merely seem as fresh as ever. It has the feeling almost of rebirth. Alice Coote's Xerxes even manages to banish memories of Ann Murray. She is a world-class singer whose every move and note is compelling. She dominates the evening. But the rest of the cast is flawless - Sarah Tynan, Rhian Lois, Catherine Young, Andrew Watts and Adrian Powter. Conductor Michael Hofstetter may be no Charles Mackerras, but then who is?</p>
<p>He certainly has a flair for Handel and sets appropriately bracing tempi.</p>
<p>In 40 years of opera going, this is one of top three productions I've seen.</p>Music122973storySuperb revival is great to Handelhttp://www.thejc.com/files/images/18092014-ENO-Xerxes--Alice-Coote.jpg

Alice Coote

I've seen Nicholas Hytner's production of Handel's comic opera at least a dozen times since it opened in 1985. And still I don't feel sated. This is simply one of the greatest opera productions - and it changed forever the perception of Handel as an opera composer. From box office death, Handel now almost guarantees a sell out.
This latest revival doesn't merely seem as fresh as ever. It has the feeling almost of rebirth. Alice Coote's Xerxes even manages to banish memories of Ann Murray. She is a world-class singer whose every move and note is compelling. She dominates the evening. But the rest of the cast is flawless - Sarah Tynan, Rhian Lois, Catherine Young, Andrew Watts and Adrian Powter. Conductor Michael Hofstetter may be no Charles Mackerras, but then who is?
He certainly has a flair for Handel and sets appropriately bracing tempi.
In 40 years of opera going, this is one of top three productions I've seen.
Thu, 18 Sep 2014 12:01:30 +0000Stephen Pollard122973 at http://www.thejc.comJW3 and LJCC set to unite in historic mergerhttp://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/122777/jw3-and-ljcc-set-unite-historic-merger
<p>JW3, the £50m London community centre, is to merge with the LJCC, the London Jewish Cultural Centre, based at Ivy House in Golders Green.</p>
<p>The merger, which has long been predicted but has been repeatedly denied by both organisations, will be completed within the year.</p>
<p>As yet there is no name for the new joint organisation. But both bodies are keen to maintain their identities.</p>
<p>The LJCC, which has a mortgage on its Ivy House site, will sell the building and profits will be used to fund the running of the new organisation, which will be housed in the year-old JW3 building.</p>
<p>There are expected to be significant redundancies, mainly in the back-office and administration departments of both organisations. </p>
<p>Even before JW3 opened in October 2013, there was a widely-held view that competition between the bodies would damage both. </p>
<p>But, since its opening, JW3 has had an average of 4,000 visitors every week and the LJCC — which has existed for over 30 years — has seen an increase in footfall to 2,500 a week. </p>
<p>Despite the organisations’ success, the drive for the merger has been financial. Dame Vivien Duffield has donated £40 million to JW3 and has always been clear that it would need to secure future funding from other donors. </p>
<p>With LJCC also seeking donors from the same pool, the logic behind a merger is described as “unarguable”.</p>
<p>Although the merger has been described by one source close to the negotiations as “blindingly obvious — it was always going to be a matter of when, not if”, formal discussions only began in July. </p>
<p>A team of four — Louise Jacobs, CEO of the LJCC, Raymond Simonson, CEO of JW3 and the respective chairs, Michael Marx and Michael Goldstein — agreed the structure and timetable, which received final approval from trustees on Tuesday.</p>
<p>Ms Jacobs is to resign when the merger is completed and will become deputy chair of the trustees of the new organisation. Mr Simonson will run the new organisation with Mr Goldstein as chair.</p>UK newsJewish cultureLondon Jewish Cultural CentreJW3122777storyEXCLUSIVEhttp://www.thejc.com/files/JW3.jpg

JW3 opened on Finchley Road, north west London, a year ago

120653Riding the wave of a cultural renaissance20080JCC's Dame Vivien Duffield: I'm the maniac who signs the chequesFull background story in the JC
JW3, the £50m London community centre, is to merge with the LJCC, the London Jewish Cultural Centre, based at Ivy House in Golders Green.
The merger, which has long been predicted but has been repeatedly denied by both organisations, will be completed within the year.
As yet there is no name for the new joint organisation. But both bodies are keen to maintain their identities.
The LJCC, which has a mortgage on its Ivy House site, will sell the building and profits will be used to fund the running of the new organisation, which will be housed in the year-old JW3 building.
There are expected to be significant redundancies, mainly in the back-office and administration departments of both organisations.
Even before JW3 opened in October 2013, there was a widely-held view that competition between the bodies would damage both.
But, since its opening, JW3 has had an average of 4,000 visitors every week and the LJCC — which has existed for over 30 years — has seen an increase in footfall to 2,500 a week.
Despite the organisations’ success, the drive for the merger has been financial. Dame Vivien Duffield has donated £40 million to JW3 and has always been clear that it would need to secure future funding from other donors.
With LJCC also seeking donors from the same pool, the logic behind a merger is described as “unarguable”.
Although the merger has been described by one source close to the negotiations as “blindingly obvious — it was always going to be a matter of when, not if”, formal discussions only began in July.
A team of four — Louise Jacobs, CEO of the LJCC, Raymond Simonson, CEO of JW3 and the respective chairs, Michael Marx and Michael Goldstein — agreed the structure and timetable, which received final approval from trustees on Tuesday.
Ms Jacobs is to resign when the merger is completed and will become deputy chair of the trustees of the new organisation. Mr Simonson will run the new organisation with Mr Goldstein as chair.
Wed, 17 Sep 2014 13:00:48 +0000Stephen Pollard122777 at http://www.thejc.comDEC Gaza appealhttp://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/121492/dec-gaza-appeal
<p>There has been some controversy over the advert for the DEC Gaza appeal in this week’s paper.</p>
<p>I understand why some people are angry and upset and I thought it important to respond.</p>
<p>This is an advert, and not an expression of the JC's view. We keep editorial coverage entirely separate from our commercial operations.</p>
<p>As editor, I am not responsible for any ads which appear in the paper. It is a critical part of our editorial independence that we do not allow advertisers to have any influence at all on the paper.</p>
<p>The ad was approved by the chairman of the JC, who has no involvement in editorial decisions, as an ad for humanitarian aid which nowhere makes political or partisan points. </p>
<p>Both I as editor and the JC are entirely supportive of Operation Protective Edge, as our coverage has demonstrated. Almost alone in the British media the JC has stressed Israel’s right to defend herself and sought to explain why Israel was faced with no choice but to take action in Gaza.</p>
<p>There is, clearly, a humanitarian cost to that action. But I do not accept the figures touted around much of the media about the level of civilian casualties – many are, I am sure, terrorists.</p>
<p>This is not a JC-backed appeal. We have no involvement in it beyond running an ad, which has appeared in most British newspapers. </p>
<p>Even if you profoundly disagree with the ad appearing in the paper, I hope this will go some way to explaining its presence and that it is in no way part of our editorial stance.</p>
<p>Feel free to email me at <a href="mailto:spollard@thejc.com">spollard@thejc.com</a> or the JC chairman Stephen Grabiner at <a href="mailto:sgrabiner@thejc.com">sgrabiner@thejc.com</a>.
</p>
<p>Stephen Pollard, Editor</p>UK news121492story

There has been some controversy over the advert for the DEC Gaza appeal in this week’s paper.
I understand why some people are angry and upset and I thought it important to respond.
This is an advert, and not an expression of the JC's view. We keep editorial coverage entirely separate from our commercial operations.
As editor, I am not responsible for any ads which appear in the paper. It is a critical part of our editorial independence that we do not allow advertisers to have any influence at all on the paper.
The ad was approved by the chairman of the JC, who has no involvement in editorial decisions, as an ad for humanitarian aid which nowhere makes political or partisan points.
Both I as editor and the JC are entirely supportive of Operation Protective Edge, as our coverage has demonstrated. Almost alone in the British media the JC has stressed Israel’s right to defend herself and sought to explain why Israel was faced with no choice but to take action in Gaza.
There is, clearly, a humanitarian cost to that action. But I do not accept the figures touted around much of the media about the level of civilian casualties – many are, I am sure, terrorists.
This is not a JC-backed appeal. We have no involvement in it beyond running an ad, which has appeared in most British newspapers.
Even if you profoundly disagree with the ad appearing in the paper, I hope this will go some way to explaining its presence and that it is in no way part of our editorial stance.
Feel free to email me at spollard@thejc.com or the JC chairman Stephen Grabiner at sgrabiner@thejc.com.
Stephen Pollard, Editor
Thu, 14 Aug 2014 15:38:26 +0000Stephen Pollard121492 at http://www.thejc.comJewish Chronicle is donating Tricycle’s cash to Israel charityhttp://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/121359/jewish-chronicle-donating-tricycle%E2%80%99s-cash-israel-charity
<p>For a number of years the <i>JC</i> has carried a small weekly advert from the Tricycle Theatre. Given the theatre’s demand that the UK Jewish Film Festival sever its ties to Israel, we could simply have severed our own ties to the Tricycle.</p>
<p>But we prefer to be imaginative. From this week, the <i>JC</i> will be donating all the revenue we receive from the Tricycle to the Friends of Israel Initiative, set up “to counter the growing efforts to delegitimise the state of Israel and its right to live in peace within safe and defensible borders.”</p>
<p>The Tricycle’s board will no doubt be delighted to know that its money will now be going, weekly via the <i>JC</i>, to support that important objective.</p>UK newsIsrael boycottStage121359storyEDITOR&#039;S NOTE: STEPHEN POLLARDhttp://www.thejc.com/files/SP_1.jpg

Stephen Pollard with the JC&#039;s donation

For a number of years the JC has carried a small weekly advert from the Tricycle Theatre. Given the theatre’s demand that the UK Jewish Film Festival sever its ties to Israel, we could simply have severed our own ties to the Tricycle.
But we prefer to be imaginative. From this week, the JC will be donating all the revenue we receive from the Tricycle to the Friends of Israel Initiative, set up “to counter the growing efforts to delegitimise the state of Israel and its right to live in peace within safe and defensible borders.”
The Tricycle’s board will no doubt be delighted to know that its money will now be going, weekly via the JC, to support that important objective.
Wed, 13 Aug 2014 20:36:44 +0000Stephen Pollard121359 at http://www.thejc.comIs this the tipping point?http://www.thejc.com/comment-and-debate/comment/121191/is-tipping-point
<p>Malcolm Gladwell defines a tipping point as “the moment of critical mass, the threshold, the boiling point”.</p>
<p>On Tuesday, Baroness Warsi resigned because the government refused to attack Israel sufficiently. </p>
<p>Later that day, the Tricycle Theatre told a Jewish charity it was not welcome unless it denounced Israel. </p>
<p>On Sunday, Ed Miliband decided to cast Israel to the wind and use its citizens’ security as a domestic political pawn.</p>
<p>Also at the weekend, anti-Israel mobs attempted to strong-arm supermarkets into dropping all Israeli produce. Some forced stores to close.</p>
<p>The previous week, an Israeli theatre troupe was banned by its venue from performing in Edinburgh. The list goes on but you get the picture. And that’s without even mentioning the huge rise in antisemitic incidents since the start of Operation Protective Edge.</p>
<p>I don’t think I’m going out on a limb by wondering if this is a tipping point.<br />
Take John Prescott. Hasbeen he might be but when a former deputy prime minister thinks it’s ok to compare Israel with the Third Reich by calling Gaza a concentration camp, and when there is not even a hint from his party that his comments might be worth even mild condemnation, then something has changed in the political ether.</p>
<p>That something was given its head by Ed Miliband. In June, the Labour leader ended his speech to Labour Friends of Israel with fine words: “If I become Prime Minister… I will be proud to do so as a friend of Israel, a Jew and, most of all, someone who feels so proud to be part of the community”.</p>
<p>Fine words, but utter drivel.</p>
<p>One way to gain cheap applause in the modern Labour Party is to attack Israel. For some years, its leaders have stood above that fray. Not Mr Miliband.</p>
<p>With internal whispering against the Labour leader ramping up again, turning on Israel gives him an instant popularity shot within the party. At the very time when Israel needs support most, this self-described friend has injected even more anti-Israel poison.</p>
<p>But it’s clearly not just the Labour audience that Mr Miliband had in mind. Do the maths. Muslims account for only three per cent of the population. But it is highly concentrated and there are around two dozen marginal constituencies with a significant Muslim vote. For a politician with no shame, the maths point in one direction. </p>
<p>As a former Labour minister put it to me on Sunday: “Just look at his record. He likes to pretend he’s driven by some moral compass but the truth is he’s the most cynical leader Labour has ever had. Syria, now Israel. He’ll sell anyone out for a vote.”</p>
<p>Another senior Labour figure told me he was “ashamed to be in the same party as this excuse for a leader”.</p>
<p>Which is all very well, but it makes the point. Mr Miliband may be playing to the gallery but the problem is that it’s what the gallery wants to hear.</p>
<p>On social media, the outpouring of antisemitism is shocking even to someone who, as editor of the JC, has to put up with it as a daily part of my inbox. But it’s not even the antisemitism itself that’s so troubling. It’s the well into which it drops — and the feeling that it’s normal and acceptable to speak of Jews as some kind of alien species.</p>
<p>In that context, attacks on Israel seem innocuous to those with no understanding of the issues. Then, without noticing that it happened, we find we are caught in a pincer of antisemitism and Israel hate.</p>CommentIsrael boycottStage121191story

121189UK Jewish Film Festival banned from the Tricycle Theatre: But some won’t attack boycott
Malcolm Gladwell defines a tipping point as “the moment of critical mass, the threshold, the boiling point”.
On Tuesday, Baroness Warsi resigned because the government refused to attack Israel sufficiently.
Later that day, the Tricycle Theatre told a Jewish charity it was not welcome unless it denounced Israel.
On Sunday, Ed Miliband decided to cast Israel to the wind and use its citizens’ security as a domestic political pawn.
Also at the weekend, anti-Israel mobs attempted to strong-arm supermarkets into dropping all Israeli produce. Some forced stores to close.
The previous week, an Israeli theatre troupe was banned by its venue from performing in Edinburgh. The list goes on but you get the picture. And that’s without even mentioning the huge rise in antisemitic incidents since the start of Operation Protective Edge.
I don’t think I’m going out on a limb by wondering if this is a tipping point.
Take John Prescott. Hasbeen he might be but when a former deputy prime minister thinks it’s ok to compare Israel with the Third Reich by calling Gaza a concentration camp, and when there is not even a hint from his party that his comments might be worth even mild condemnation, then something has changed in the political ether.
That something was given its head by Ed Miliband. In June, the Labour leader ended his speech to Labour Friends of Israel with fine words: “If I become Prime Minister… I will be proud to do so as a friend of Israel, a Jew and, most of all, someone who feels so proud to be part of the community”.
Fine words, but utter drivel.
One way to gain cheap applause in the modern Labour Party is to attack Israel. For some years, its leaders have stood above that fray. Not Mr Miliband.
With internal whispering against the Labour leader ramping up again, turning on Israel gives him an instant popularity shot within the party. At the very time when Israel needs support most, this self-described friend has injected even more anti-Israel poison.
But it’s clearly not just the Labour audience that Mr Miliband had in mind. Do the maths. Muslims account for only three per cent of the population. But it is highly concentrated and there are around two dozen marginal constituencies with a significant Muslim vote. For a politician with no shame, the maths point in one direction.
As a former Labour minister put it to me on Sunday: “Just look at his record. He likes to pretend he’s driven by some moral compass but the truth is he’s the most cynical leader Labour has ever had. Syria, now Israel. He’ll sell anyone out for a vote.”
Another senior Labour figure told me he was “ashamed to be in the same party as this excuse for a leader”.
Which is all very well, but it makes the point. Mr Miliband may be playing to the gallery but the problem is that it’s what the gallery wants to hear.
On social media, the outpouring of antisemitism is shocking even to someone who, as editor of the JC, has to put up with it as a daily part of my inbox. But it’s not even the antisemitism itself that’s so troubling. It’s the well into which it drops — and the feeling that it’s normal and acceptable to speak of Jews as some kind of alien species.
In that context, attacks on Israel seem innocuous to those with no understanding of the issues. Then, without noticing that it happened, we find we are caught in a pincer of antisemitism and Israel hate.
Thu, 07 Aug 2014 09:54:00 +0000Stephen Pollard121191 at http://www.thejc.comJohn Kerry'sHamas-friendly ceasefire plan exposes his incompetence to allhttp://www.thejc.com/comment-and-debate/comment/120994/john-kerryshamas-friendly-ceasefire-plan-exposes-his-incompetence-
<p>It takes a special type of talent to unite Israel, the Palestinian Authority, the Saudis, Egypt and pretty much everyone except Hamas, Turkey and Qatar. The type of talent that mixes incompetence with jaw-dropping arrogance.</p>
<p>The talent, in other words, of the US Secretary of State, John Kerry.</p>
<p>It is possible - just - on one reading of the 18 months since he assumed office to ascribe the failure of the peace process to a well-intentioned naivety in Mr Kerry.</p>
<p>It's a thin argument. Of all the people in the world who should not be naïve, the US Secretary of State would be top. But there are some who make that case.</p>
<p>No longer. The ceasefire draft put forward last week by Mr Kerry is so malign in intent towards Israel, so ruinous towards the PA and so craven in its de facto support for Hamas that only two conclusions are possible. Either Mr Kerry intends to harm Israel or he is completely out of his depth.</p>
<p>The US is in theory committed to Israel's security. On the level of aid that remains true. </p>
<p>But look at the ceasefire plan. No mention of removing Hamas's rockets or tunnels. No mention of demilitarisation. Instead, an entrenched Hamas and a demand that Israel lifts its blockade of Gaza - accepting Hamas's narrative that its terror is a response to the blockade rather than vice versa. Astonishingly, Hamas is treated on the same basis as Israel, as a legitimate representative body speaking for the Palestinians rather than as a terrorist group proscribed by the US which seized control through a coup and which uses aid - including from the US - to fund its terror against a supposed US ally.</p>
<p>The draft was not so much for a ceasefire as for an Israeli, PA and US capitulation to Hamas's demands. Effectively destroying the PA, it could have been drawn up by Khaled Mashaal.</p>
<p>And no plan was even necessary. Israel had already accepted an Egyptian proposal.</p>
<p>There's a pattern here. It is not as if the US State Department is suddenly devoid of anyone who understands the Middle East. The problem - this is a theme that has been heard from many sources - is that Mr Kerry is such an egomaniac that he simply ignores all of them. He knows best.</p>
<p>Last week's events lend credence to the Israelis' spin in March, when the peace talks with the PA collapsed, that Kerry had ruined the entire process by lying to both sides about each others' positions. He simply didn't understand what he was doing, they said.</p>
<p>It's back to those two explanations again. Either he is a blundering fool who is so far out of his depth as to be a serious danger. Or he does know what he is doing - which is even worse.</p>
<p>Look at how he reacted to the Israelis' (and PA's) rejection of his plan. In Paris immediately afterwards, he chose to speak only to Turkey and Qatar. That's Turkey, whose government (backed by Hamas) says Israel is committing genocide in Gaza and that Netanyahu is ten times worse than Hitler; and Qatar, which is now Hamas's main funder.</p>
<p>Speak to the PA or Egypt? Or…Israel? As if.</p>
<p>One of the few positive things to have emerged in recent weeks has been the de facto alliance of Israel, Egypt, the PA, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Mr Kerry has single-handedly destroyed that promise. He has made clear that in the US' eyes, Hamas is the legitimate representative of the Palestinians and that the Palestinian Authority is not even worth talking to - because the PA was ignored throughout.</p>
<p>This matters not just because his actions have made a ceasefire less, not more, likely, but because Israel, Egypt, the PA, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates now regard him as at best an incompetent buffoon and at worst a liar. And the implications of his pandering to Turkey and Qatar are simply horrifying.</p>CommentPeace processGazaJohn Kerry120994storyhttp://www.thejc.com/files/john-kerry.jpg

John Kerry

It takes a special type of talent to unite Israel, the Palestinian Authority, the Saudis, Egypt and pretty much everyone except Hamas, Turkey and Qatar. The type of talent that mixes incompetence with jaw-dropping arrogance.
The talent, in other words, of the US Secretary of State, John Kerry.
It is possible - just - on one reading of the 18 months since he assumed office to ascribe the failure of the peace process to a well-intentioned naivety in Mr Kerry.
It's a thin argument. Of all the people in the world who should not be naïve, the US Secretary of State would be top. But there are some who make that case.
No longer. The ceasefire draft put forward last week by Mr Kerry is so malign in intent towards Israel, so ruinous towards the PA and so craven in its de facto support for Hamas that only two conclusions are possible. Either Mr Kerry intends to harm Israel or he is completely out of his depth.
The US is in theory committed to Israel's security. On the level of aid that remains true.
But look at the ceasefire plan. No mention of removing Hamas's rockets or tunnels. No mention of demilitarisation. Instead, an entrenched Hamas and a demand that Israel lifts its blockade of Gaza - accepting Hamas's narrative that its terror is a response to the blockade rather than vice versa. Astonishingly, Hamas is treated on the same basis as Israel, as a legitimate representative body speaking for the Palestinians rather than as a terrorist group proscribed by the US which seized control through a coup and which uses aid - including from the US - to fund its terror against a supposed US ally.
The draft was not so much for a ceasefire as for an Israeli, PA and US capitulation to Hamas's demands. Effectively destroying the PA, it could have been drawn up by Khaled Mashaal.
And no plan was even necessary. Israel had already accepted an Egyptian proposal.
There's a pattern here. It is not as if the US State Department is suddenly devoid of anyone who understands the Middle East. The problem - this is a theme that has been heard from many sources - is that Mr Kerry is such an egomaniac that he simply ignores all of them. He knows best.
Last week's events lend credence to the Israelis' spin in March, when the peace talks with the PA collapsed, that Kerry had ruined the entire process by lying to both sides about each others' positions. He simply didn't understand what he was doing, they said.
It's back to those two explanations again. Either he is a blundering fool who is so far out of his depth as to be a serious danger. Or he does know what he is doing - which is even worse.
Look at how he reacted to the Israelis' (and PA's) rejection of his plan. In Paris immediately afterwards, he chose to speak only to Turkey and Qatar. That's Turkey, whose government (backed by Hamas) says Israel is committing genocide in Gaza and that Netanyahu is ten times worse than Hitler; and Qatar, which is now Hamas's main funder.
Speak to the PA or Egypt? Or…Israel? As if.
One of the few positive things to have emerged in recent weeks has been the de facto alliance of Israel, Egypt, the PA, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Mr Kerry has single-handedly destroyed that promise. He has made clear that in the US' eyes, Hamas is the legitimate representative of the Palestinians and that the Palestinian Authority is not even worth talking to - because the PA was ignored throughout.
This matters not just because his actions have made a ceasefire less, not more, likely, but because Israel, Egypt, the PA, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates now regard him as at best an incompetent buffoon and at worst a liar. And the implications of his pandering to Turkey and Qatar are simply horrifying.
Thu, 31 Jul 2014 10:09:01 +0000Stephen Pollard120994 at http://www.thejc.comOpera: Maria Stuardahttp://www.thejc.com/arts/music/120664/opera-maria-stuarda
<p>What is opera? One thing it isn't - or shouldn't be - is a parade of singers warbling for the sake of warbling. There is a long tradition of such productions - to wit, the regular vehicles staged for Dame Joan Sutherland to show off her vocal talents - that are more often than not hack works that would never deserve to be revived in any other context.</p>
<p>The ROH's production of Donizetti's Maria Stuarda falls into that category. It's a third-rate piece that is dramatically and vocally dull but has some supposed show-stoppers for singers of the calibre of Joyce DiDonato, who is in the title role. There's no other reason why it should be staged.</p>
<p>I'd previously thought I'd be happy to hear Ms DiDonato sing the phone-book. But this performance showed that's not true, glorious singer and actress though she is. This is a waste of some huge talents and a dull evening - even with the wonderful Joyce DiDonato.</p>Music120664storyWhat a waste of huge talentshttp://www.thejc.com/files/images/17072014-Joyce-DiDonato.jpg

Joyce DiDonato (left)

What is opera? One thing it isn't - or shouldn't be - is a parade of singers warbling for the sake of warbling. There is a long tradition of such productions - to wit, the regular vehicles staged for Dame Joan Sutherland to show off her vocal talents - that are more often than not hack works that would never deserve to be revived in any other context.
The ROH's production of Donizetti's Maria Stuarda falls into that category. It's a third-rate piece that is dramatically and vocally dull but has some supposed show-stoppers for singers of the calibre of Joyce DiDonato, who is in the title role. There's no other reason why it should be staged.
I'd previously thought I'd be happy to hear Ms DiDonato sing the phone-book. But this performance showed that's not true, glorious singer and actress though she is. This is a waste of some huge talents and a dull evening - even with the wonderful Joyce DiDonato.
Thu, 17 Jul 2014 13:10:50 +0000Stephen Pollard120664 at http://www.thejc.comThanks for nothing, RIBA. Zero.http://www.thejc.com/comment-and-debate/comment/120330/thanks-nothing-riba-zero
<p>A few years ago I was mugged at the bottom of the escalators at Charing Cross Station. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank the young men responsible.</p>
<p>They could so easily have gone further and slashed me with a knife, or given my head a kicking. As it was, all they did was push me over and grab my wallet. </p>
<p>And I'd also like to thank the two London Transport employees who saw everything - they were standing about 10 feet away when it happened - but when I asked them to intervene afterwards and stop the train my assailants had boarded, they claimed that they'd seen nothing and didn't know what I was talking about. </p>
<p>And now I'd like to introduce you to two Stephens, Games and Hodder. Mr Games is a member of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and one of the most eminent writers and thinkers about architecture in the country. Mr Hodder is President of RIBA.</p>
<p>In March, RIBA voted to become antisemitic. It didn't put it like that, of course, but in voting to demand that the International Union of Architects (UIA), the international umbrella body of architects' associations, bar all Israelis from membership it was singling out Jews - or Israelis, as the motion put it – for collective discrimination. RIBA wasn't interested in whether those Jews it wanted to ban were settlers or campaigners for Palestinian rights. It wasn't interested in anything about them other than that they were citizens of the Jewish state – and thus to be barred from membership.</p>
<p>And that is where RIBA stands today, July 4. Nothing has changed. Nothing will change; there are no plans for any rerun of the vote or attempt to overturn it. And Mr Hodder, the president, says he considers the matter closed. </p>
<p>The vote remains RIBA policy. RIBA officially discriminates against Jews.</p>
<p>So it is puzzling, to say the least, why last week Mr Games, who was one of the unofficial leaders of the campaign to have RIBA change its stance and drop its official antisemitism, issued a statement thanking Mr Hodder. </p>
<p>Remember: RIBA is still officially committed to discrimination against Jews. And the same Mr Hodder who has been thanked by Mr Games, will not attempt to change that stance, will not condemn it and considers the issue closed.</p>
<p>Mr Games said that "on behalf of the many architects who opposed recent unconstitutional efforts to politicise the Institute, we wish to thank the president of RIBA, Stephen Hodder, for resolving this issue in a way that all parties can now feel satisfied with." </p>
<p>Since all parties can apparently now feel satisfied, you might have thought that, as a bare minimum, this supposed resolution would include overturning RIBA's official commitment to barring Jews (who happen to be Israeli) from membership of the UIA. </p>
<p>You'd have thought wrong.</p>
<p>The resolution of the issue for which Mr Games and his associates are so grateful involves Mr Hodder and his RIBA officials doing precisely nothing. Literally, nothing. </p>
<p>Indeed, doing nothing is the very thing for which Mr Hodder is being thanked. He has said that he will not push for the UIA to adopt the policy advocated by RIBA. He will do nothing.</p>
<p>But as for changing that policy - as for changing RIBA's formal commitment to having Jews (who happen to be Israeli) barred from membership of the UIA - well, he won't lift a finger. He and RIBA will do nothing.</p>
<p>Nothing.</p>
<p>This is one of those stories that is so utterly bizarre, so Alice-in-Wonderland, that you cannot believe what you are reading.</p>
<p>I can think of not a single valid reason – and it's a stretch even to think of an invalid reason – why anyone except the antisemites behind the BDS campaign should be grateful to Mr Hodder, who has refused to condemn RIBA's policy of barring Jews (who happen to be Israeli) from UIA membership and who seems to me to be a man who should be widely and repeatedly condemned by anyone who does not believe in official antisemitism.</p>
<p>And yet Mr Games has thanked him.</p>
<p>Go figure.</p>CommentIsrael boycott120330story

120079Israeli architects applaud Riba retreat from call for boycott119980Riba says Israel boycott issue is now closed
A few years ago I was mugged at the bottom of the escalators at Charing Cross Station. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank the young men responsible.
They could so easily have gone further and slashed me with a knife, or given my head a kicking. As it was, all they did was push me over and grab my wallet.
And I'd also like to thank the two London Transport employees who saw everything - they were standing about 10 feet away when it happened - but when I asked them to intervene afterwards and stop the train my assailants had boarded, they claimed that they'd seen nothing and didn't know what I was talking about.
And now I'd like to introduce you to two Stephens, Games and Hodder. Mr Games is a member of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and one of the most eminent writers and thinkers about architecture in the country. Mr Hodder is President of RIBA.
In March, RIBA voted to become antisemitic. It didn't put it like that, of course, but in voting to demand that the International Union of Architects (UIA), the international umbrella body of architects' associations, bar all Israelis from membership it was singling out Jews - or Israelis, as the motion put it – for collective discrimination. RIBA wasn't interested in whether those Jews it wanted to ban were settlers or campaigners for Palestinian rights. It wasn't interested in anything about them other than that they were citizens of the Jewish state – and thus to be barred from membership.
And that is where RIBA stands today, July 4. Nothing has changed. Nothing will change; there are no plans for any rerun of the vote or attempt to overturn it. And Mr Hodder, the president, says he considers the matter closed.
The vote remains RIBA policy. RIBA officially discriminates against Jews.
So it is puzzling, to say the least, why last week Mr Games, who was one of the unofficial leaders of the campaign to have RIBA change its stance and drop its official antisemitism, issued a statement thanking Mr Hodder.
Remember: RIBA is still officially committed to discrimination against Jews. And the same Mr Hodder who has been thanked by Mr Games, will not attempt to change that stance, will not condemn it and considers the issue closed.
Mr Games said that "on behalf of the many architects who opposed recent unconstitutional efforts to politicise the Institute, we wish to thank the president of RIBA, Stephen Hodder, for resolving this issue in a way that all parties can now feel satisfied with."
Since all parties can apparently now feel satisfied, you might have thought that, as a bare minimum, this supposed resolution would include overturning RIBA's official commitment to barring Jews (who happen to be Israeli) from membership of the UIA.
You'd have thought wrong.
The resolution of the issue for which Mr Games and his associates are so grateful involves Mr Hodder and his RIBA officials doing precisely nothing. Literally, nothing.
Indeed, doing nothing is the very thing for which Mr Hodder is being thanked. He has said that he will not push for the UIA to adopt the policy advocated by RIBA. He will do nothing.
But as for changing that policy - as for changing RIBA's formal commitment to having Jews (who happen to be Israeli) barred from membership of the UIA - well, he won't lift a finger. He and RIBA will do nothing.
Nothing.
This is one of those stories that is so utterly bizarre, so Alice-in-Wonderland, that you cannot believe what you are reading.
I can think of not a single valid reason – and it's a stretch even to think of an invalid reason – why anyone except the antisemites behind the BDS campaign should be grateful to Mr Hodder, who has refused to condemn RIBA's policy of barring Jews (who happen to be Israeli) from UIA membership and who seems to me to be a man who should be widely and repeatedly condemned by anyone who does not believe in official antisemitism.
And yet Mr Games has thanked him.
Go figure.
Thu, 03 Jul 2014 13:24:37 +0000Stephen Pollard120330 at http://www.thejc.comMorally corrupt Belgiumhttp://www.thejc.com/comment-and-debate/columnists/119567/morally-corrupt-belgium
<p>It didn’t take long. Within days of the Brussels murders, the conspiracy theorists (for which, read: “the Jews did it”) were at it. Step forward, Tariq Ramadan, lecturer on contemporary Islamic issues at Oxford University and Muslim Brotherhood aristocrat — the grandson of Hassan al Banna, the Islamist group’s founder. </p>
<p>Supposedly a moderate (although it takes a three-second Google search to puncture that idea), Ramadan wrote that Belgian officials seemed to be part of a conspiracy to present the Jewish museum murders as antisemitic when they were no such thing, because the victims were Mossad agents and the killings were a professional hit job. (Ignore the fact that two non-Israeli Jews were also murdered. If the facts don’t fit a conspiracy, best just ignore them.) </p>
<p>“The two tourists targeted in Brussels worked for the Israeli secret services. The government does not comment,” Ramadan wrote. “Coincidence. Is this a case of anti-Semitism or a manoeuvre to divert attention from the real motives of the executioners? We oppose all slaying of innocents and racism but at the same time, it’s time they stopped taking us for fools.”</p>
<p>I’d never suggest that anyone takes Ramadan for a fool. A knave, on the other hand… Because almost immediately after Ramadan deployed that familiar Jewish conspiracy trope came the news that the French authorities had arrested Mehdi Nemmouche, an Islamist terrorist brought to the boil in Syria. </p>
<p>Not, of course, that anyone could have expected a lecturer on contemporary Islamic issues to have any idea that there might be a possibility that a man who shoots Jews in daylight in the middle of Europe could possibly be an Islamist terrorist. Of course not.</p>
<p>Indeed, most likely this will be the first instance of a Syria-trained terrorist operating on the streets of Europe, rather than the last. Almost half-a-million Moroccans live in Belgium. Hundreds, if not thousands, have fought in Syria. And when they return to Belgium, all they need is their EU passport to operate anywhere. </p>
<p>As one British intelligence chief put it this week: “Belgium is top of our list of concerns. It has a large proportion of radicalised ex-fighters of Moroccan origin. All of them are just a Eurostar journey away from London.”</p>
<p>What makes this doubly difficult is that the Belgian government has for years had a “hear no evil, see no evil” attitude to Islamists. The Belgian view is that if they leave Islamist groups alone then they will leave Belgium alone. It’s a typically cynical, morally corrupt view from a country I came to regard as itself cynical and morally corrupt while I worked in Brussels. </p>
<p>The British authorities are criticised for refusing to take Islamist hate speakers seriously but compared to the Belgians, who give these groups near-free rein to spread their poison, we are models of good practice.<br />
The Belgian poison is developed from a mix, unique in Europe, of open Islamism and open antisemitism.</p>
<p>A few months into my time in Brussels, I walked into a restaurant a friend, who looks Jewish. The waiter (who apparently didn’t think I also did) asked what “the Jew girl” wanted. When we got up, saying both Jews would leave, he replied they’d only have served one Jew, anyway, not two.</p>
<p>Last year, Joods Actueel published a survey of 4,000 Belgian children aged 14-18, which found about 75 per cent of young Muslims agreed with hard-core antisemitic statements such as that Jews want to dominate, have too much power and consider themselves superior to others. Only 10 per cent of non-Muslim children agreed. </p>
<p>And now the rest of Europe is suffering the consequences.</p>ColumnistsBelgium119567story

119319French police arrest Brussels shooting suspect
It didn’t take long. Within days of the Brussels murders, the conspiracy theorists (for which, read: “the Jews did it”) were at it. Step forward, Tariq Ramadan, lecturer on contemporary Islamic issues at Oxford University and Muslim Brotherhood aristocrat — the grandson of Hassan al Banna, the Islamist group’s founder.
Supposedly a moderate (although it takes a three-second Google search to puncture that idea), Ramadan wrote that Belgian officials seemed to be part of a conspiracy to present the Jewish museum murders as antisemitic when they were no such thing, because the victims were Mossad agents and the killings were a professional hit job. (Ignore the fact that two non-Israeli Jews were also murdered. If the facts don’t fit a conspiracy, best just ignore them.)
“The two tourists targeted in Brussels worked for the Israeli secret services. The government does not comment,” Ramadan wrote. “Coincidence. Is this a case of anti-Semitism or a manoeuvre to divert attention from the real motives of the executioners? We oppose all slaying of innocents and racism but at the same time, it’s time they stopped taking us for fools.”
I’d never suggest that anyone takes Ramadan for a fool. A knave, on the other hand… Because almost immediately after Ramadan deployed that familiar Jewish conspiracy trope came the news that the French authorities had arrested Mehdi Nemmouche, an Islamist terrorist brought to the boil in Syria.
Not, of course, that anyone could have expected a lecturer on contemporary Islamic issues to have any idea that there might be a possibility that a man who shoots Jews in daylight in the middle of Europe could possibly be an Islamist terrorist. Of course not.
Indeed, most likely this will be the first instance of a Syria-trained terrorist operating on the streets of Europe, rather than the last. Almost half-a-million Moroccans live in Belgium. Hundreds, if not thousands, have fought in Syria. And when they return to Belgium, all they need is their EU passport to operate anywhere.
As one British intelligence chief put it this week: “Belgium is top of our list of concerns. It has a large proportion of radicalised ex-fighters of Moroccan origin. All of them are just a Eurostar journey away from London.”
What makes this doubly difficult is that the Belgian government has for years had a “hear no evil, see no evil” attitude to Islamists. The Belgian view is that if they leave Islamist groups alone then they will leave Belgium alone. It’s a typically cynical, morally corrupt view from a country I came to regard as itself cynical and morally corrupt while I worked in Brussels.
The British authorities are criticised for refusing to take Islamist hate speakers seriously but compared to the Belgians, who give these groups near-free rein to spread their poison, we are models of good practice.
The Belgian poison is developed from a mix, unique in Europe, of open Islamism and open antisemitism.
A few months into my time in Brussels, I walked into a restaurant a friend, who looks Jewish. The waiter (who apparently didn’t think I also did) asked what “the Jew girl” wanted. When we got up, saying both Jews would leave, he replied they’d only have served one Jew, anyway, not two.
Last year, Joods Actueel published a survey of 4,000 Belgian children aged 14-18, which found about 75 per cent of young Muslims agreed with hard-core antisemitic statements such as that Jews want to dominate, have too much power and consider themselves superior to others. Only 10 per cent of non-Muslim children agreed.
And now the rest of Europe is suffering the consequences.
Fri, 06 Jun 2014 15:55:33 +0000Stephen Pollard119567 at http://www.thejc.comOpera: Dialogues des Carmeliteshttp://www.thejc.com/arts/music/119498/opera-dialogues-des-carmelites
<p>No operatic ending is more devastating, gripping and shocking than the final scene of Poulenc's Dialogues des Carmelites. Condemned to death for their faith by the French revolutionary court, the nuns walk to the guillotine singing the Salve Regina. One-by-one they are beheaded and the chorus loses a voice until just one is left, her words cut off mid-sentence as she, too, is killed.</p>
<p>The Royal Opera's revival of what I consider to be the greatest of all post-war operas has its problems, but that final scene is as heart-wrenching as it should be.</p>
<p>Sir Simon Rattle conducts a perfectly paced, nuanced interpretation of this wonderful score. And Deborah Polaski's Prioress is world-class.</p>
<p>But, alas, the rest of the Royal Opera's casting leaves much to be desired. </p>
<p>Unless the nuns' voices are easily differentiated, the glory of their music can too easily resemble a sort of tuneful mush. </p>
<p>And there is almost no variety between these nuns' voices. Put simply, they all sound the same. </p>
<p>Couple that with Robert Carsen's sparse production and it's very difficult to tell who is saying what on stage.</p>
<p>But that final scene compensates for previous shortcomings.</p>Music119498storyFrom indifferent to sublimehttp://www.thejc.com/files/images/06062014-dialogues-des-carmelites.jpg

Deborah Polaski and Sally Matthews in Dialogues Des Carmelites

No operatic ending is more devastating, gripping and shocking than the final scene of Poulenc's Dialogues des Carmelites. Condemned to death for their faith by the French revolutionary court, the nuns walk to the guillotine singing the Salve Regina. One-by-one they are beheaded and the chorus loses a voice until just one is left, her words cut off mid-sentence as she, too, is killed.
The Royal Opera's revival of what I consider to be the greatest of all post-war operas has its problems, but that final scene is as heart-wrenching as it should be.
Sir Simon Rattle conducts a perfectly paced, nuanced interpretation of this wonderful score. And Deborah Polaski's Prioress is world-class.
But, alas, the rest of the Royal Opera's casting leaves much to be desired.
Unless the nuns' voices are easily differentiated, the glory of their music can too easily resemble a sort of tuneful mush.
And there is almost no variety between these nuns' voices. Put simply, they all sound the same.
Couple that with Robert Carsen's sparse production and it's very difficult to tell who is saying what on stage.
But that final scene compensates for previous shortcomings.
Fri, 06 Jun 2014 11:27:50 +0000Stephen Pollard119498 at http://www.thejc.comMorally corrupt Belgiumhttp://www.thejc.com/comment-and-debate/comment/119485/morally-corrupt-belgium
<p>It didn't take long. Within days of the Brussels murders, the conspiracy theorists (for which, read: "the Jews did it") were at it. Step forward, Tariq Ramadan, lecturer on contemporary Islamic issues at Oxford University and Muslim Brotherhood aristocrat - the grandson of Hassan al Banna, the Islamist group's founder.</p>
<p>Supposedly a moderate (although it takes a three-second Google search to puncture that idea), Ramadan wrote that Belgian officials seemed to be part of a conspiracy to present the Jewish museum murders as antisemitic when they were no such thing, because the victims were Mossad agents and the killings were a professional hit job. (Ignore the fact that two non-Israeli Jews were also murdered. If the facts don't fit a conspiracy, best just ignore them.) </p>
<p>"The two tourists targeted in Brussels worked for the Israeli secret services. The government does not comment," Ramadan wrote. "Coincidence. Is this a case of anti-Semitism or a manoeuvre to divert attention from the real motives of the executioners? We oppose all slaying of innocents and racism but at the same time, it's time they stopped taking us for fools."</p>
<p>I'd never suggest that anyone takes Ramadan for a fool. A knave, on the other hand... Because almost immediately after Ramadan deployed that familiar Jewish conspiracy trope came the news that the French authorities had arrested Mehdi Nemmouche, an Islamist terrorist brought to the boil in Syria. </p>
<p>Not, of course, that anyone could have expected a lecturer on contemporary Islamic issues to have any idea that there might be a possibility that a man who shoots Jews in daylight in the middle of Europe could possibly be an Islamist terrorist. Of course not.</p>
<p>Indeed, most likely this will be the first instance of a Syria-trained terrorist operating on the streets of Europe, rather than the last. Almost half-a-million Moroccans live in Belgium. Hundreds, if not thousands, have fought in Syria. And when they return to Belgium, all they need is their EU passport to operate anywhere. </p>
<p>As one British intelligence chief put it this week: "Belgium is top of our list of concerns. It has a large proportion of radicalised ex-fighters of Moroccan origin. All of them are just a Eurostar journey away from London."</p>
<p>What makes this doubly difficult is that the Belgian government has for years had a "hear no evil, see no evil" attitude to Islamists. The Belgian view is that if they leave Islamist groups alone then they will leave Belgium alone. It's a typically cynical, morally corrupt view from a country I came to regard as itself cynical and morally corrupt while I worked in Brussels. </p>
<p>The British authorities are criticised for refusing to take Islamist hate speakers seriously but compared to the Belgians, who give these groups near-free rein to spread their poison, we are models of good practice.</p>
<p>The Belgian poison is developed from a mix, unique in Europe, of open Islamism and open antisemitism.</p>
<p>A few months into my time in Brussels, I walked into a restaurant a friend, who looks Jewish. The waiter (who apparently didn't think I also did) asked what "the Jew girl" wanted. When we got up, saying both Jews would leave, he replied they'd only have served one Jew, anyway, not two.</p>
<p>Last year, Joods Actueel published a survey of 4,000 Belgian children aged 14-18, which found about 75 per cent of young Muslims agreed with hard-core antisemitic statements such as that Jews want to dominate, have too much power and consider themselves superior to others. Only 10 per cent of non-Muslim children agreed. </p>
<p>And now the rest of Europe is suffering the consequences.</p>CommentBelgium119485story

It didn't take long. Within days of the Brussels murders, the conspiracy theorists (for which, read: "the Jews did it") were at it. Step forward, Tariq Ramadan, lecturer on contemporary Islamic issues at Oxford University and Muslim Brotherhood aristocrat - the grandson of Hassan al Banna, the Islamist group's founder.
Supposedly a moderate (although it takes a three-second Google search to puncture that idea), Ramadan wrote that Belgian officials seemed to be part of a conspiracy to present the Jewish museum murders as antisemitic when they were no such thing, because the victims were Mossad agents and the killings were a professional hit job. (Ignore the fact that two non-Israeli Jews were also murdered. If the facts don't fit a conspiracy, best just ignore them.)
"The two tourists targeted in Brussels worked for the Israeli secret services. The government does not comment," Ramadan wrote. "Coincidence. Is this a case of anti-Semitism or a manoeuvre to divert attention from the real motives of the executioners? We oppose all slaying of innocents and racism but at the same time, it's time they stopped taking us for fools."
I'd never suggest that anyone takes Ramadan for a fool. A knave, on the other hand... Because almost immediately after Ramadan deployed that familiar Jewish conspiracy trope came the news that the French authorities had arrested Mehdi Nemmouche, an Islamist terrorist brought to the boil in Syria.
Not, of course, that anyone could have expected a lecturer on contemporary Islamic issues to have any idea that there might be a possibility that a man who shoots Jews in daylight in the middle of Europe could possibly be an Islamist terrorist. Of course not.
Indeed, most likely this will be the first instance of a Syria-trained terrorist operating on the streets of Europe, rather than the last. Almost half-a-million Moroccans live in Belgium. Hundreds, if not thousands, have fought in Syria. And when they return to Belgium, all they need is their EU passport to operate anywhere.
As one British intelligence chief put it this week: "Belgium is top of our list of concerns. It has a large proportion of radicalised ex-fighters of Moroccan origin. All of them are just a Eurostar journey away from London."
What makes this doubly difficult is that the Belgian government has for years had a "hear no evil, see no evil" attitude to Islamists. The Belgian view is that if they leave Islamist groups alone then they will leave Belgium alone. It's a typically cynical, morally corrupt view from a country I came to regard as itself cynical and morally corrupt while I worked in Brussels.
The British authorities are criticised for refusing to take Islamist hate speakers seriously but compared to the Belgians, who give these groups near-free rein to spread their poison, we are models of good practice.
The Belgian poison is developed from a mix, unique in Europe, of open Islamism and open antisemitism.
A few months into my time in Brussels, I walked into a restaurant a friend, who looks Jewish. The waiter (who apparently didn't think I also did) asked what "the Jew girl" wanted. When we got up, saying both Jews would leave, he replied they'd only have served one Jew, anyway, not two.
Last year, Joods Actueel published a survey of 4,000 Belgian children aged 14-18, which found about 75 per cent of young Muslims agreed with hard-core antisemitic statements such as that Jews want to dominate, have too much power and consider themselves superior to others. Only 10 per cent of non-Muslim children agreed.
And now the rest of Europe is suffering the consequences.
Fri, 06 Jun 2014 11:27:39 +0000Stephen Pollard119485 at http://www.thejc.comOpera review - Die Frau ohne Schatten (Royal Opera House): This Strauss in the House is as good as it getshttp://www.thejc.com/arts/music/116737/opera-review-die-frau-ohne-schatten-royal-opera-house-this-strauss-house-good-it-g
<p>How’s this for a 20th-century plot? A supernatural Empress is married to a human Emperor who will be turned to stone if the Empress is not able to buy a shadow from a poor woman. And those are just the basic elements.<br />
Strauss’s Die Frau ohne Schatten is sometimes described as his response to The Magic Flute.</p>
<p>Underneath it lies the same idea of a test of worthiness. But where Mozart’s opera can be seen on one level almost as pantomime, this is so heavily allegorical and suffused with psychological ambiguity that it defeats almost all directors.</p>
<p>Claus Guth’s solution is to treat it all as the sexually charged dream of a frustrated young wife. The device works, so that focus is directed away from the more creaking elements of the plot.</p>
<p>But if I urge you to see this new production, it’s not because of the staging, excellent as that is. It’s because you will never hear a finer performance of a Strauss opera than the blazing, incandescent, tender and opulent reading of the glorious score that Semyon Bychkov secures from the Royal Opera House orchestra. On this evidence, we have the Vienna and Berlin philharmonics rolled into one in the Covent Garden pit.</p>
<p>Too often, gorgeous orchestral performances of Strauss are let down by barking from the singers. Not here. The five principals are sensational — every note is pitch perfect and musical. As the Empress, Emily Magee’s soprano floats above the orchestra. And Elena Pankratova is dramatically compelling as the Wife. Michaela Schuster’s Nurse is the lynchpin of the production and is even better than her recent Klytaemnestra.</p>
<p>Emperor Johan Botha’s pure, ringing heldentenor tone seems from a bygone age and Johan Reuter’s Barak completes a simply perfect cast.</p>
<p>This is as good as it gets.</p>Musicopera116737storyhttp://www.thejc.com/files/140311_0720 diefrau-Edit_pp-Edit adj.jpg

A scene from Die Frau ohne Schatten

How’s this for a 20th-century plot? A supernatural Empress is married to a human Emperor who will be turned to stone if the Empress is not able to buy a shadow from a poor woman. And those are just the basic elements.
Strauss’s Die Frau ohne Schatten is sometimes described as his response to The Magic Flute.
Underneath it lies the same idea of a test of worthiness. But where Mozart’s opera can be seen on one level almost as pantomime, this is so heavily allegorical and suffused with psychological ambiguity that it defeats almost all directors.
Claus Guth’s solution is to treat it all as the sexually charged dream of a frustrated young wife. The device works, so that focus is directed away from the more creaking elements of the plot.
But if I urge you to see this new production, it’s not because of the staging, excellent as that is. It’s because you will never hear a finer performance of a Strauss opera than the blazing, incandescent, tender and opulent reading of the glorious score that Semyon Bychkov secures from the Royal Opera House orchestra. On this evidence, we have the Vienna and Berlin philharmonics rolled into one in the Covent Garden pit.
Too often, gorgeous orchestral performances of Strauss are let down by barking from the singers. Not here. The five principals are sensational — every note is pitch perfect and musical. As the Empress, Emily Magee’s soprano floats above the orchestra. And Elena Pankratova is dramatically compelling as the Wife. Michaela Schuster’s Nurse is the lynchpin of the production and is even better than her recent Klytaemnestra.
Emperor Johan Botha’s pure, ringing heldentenor tone seems from a bygone age and Johan Reuter’s Barak completes a simply perfect cast.
This is as good as it gets.
Thu, 20 Mar 2014 14:17:44 +0000Stephen Pollard116737 at http://www.thejc.comDon Giovanni Royal Opera House: A Don done with such impressive thoughthttp://www.thejc.com/arts/music/115463/don-giovanni-royal-opera-house-a-don-done-such-impressive-thought
<p>Kasper Holten’s new production of Don Giovanni is unmissable. There’s not a scene that hasn’t been thoroughly thought through and not a character who hasn’t been dissected. That means a constantly rewarding intellectual challenge — such as the idea that, far from being helpless victims, Donna Anna and Zerlina are complicit in their dalliances with the Don. But all the many ideas come from within the opera, rather than the usual director’s whim.</p>
<p>Musically, it’s first-rate. Nicola Luisotti’s conducting is at once weighty, magisterial, exciting and fleet of foot.</p>
<p>All the principals are thoroughly immersed in their roles and there’s not a weak link, although, in truth, the riveting set offers the most real characterisation. The video screen which dominates the evening stays just this side of OTT.</p>
<p>Uniquely in my experience, the most outstanding performance is Antonio Poli’s Don Ottavio. Instead of the usual insipid and weedy cipher, Poli’s every note is beautiful and powerful.</p>
<p>This is not a production you’d want to live with, but definitely an interpretation that demands to be seen. </p>Musicopera115463storyhttp://www.thejc.com/files/BC20140123_DON_GIOVANNI-RO_175 POLI AS DON OTTAVIO (C) COOPER.jpg

Antonio Poli as Don Ottavio

Kasper Holten’s new production of Don Giovanni is unmissable. There’s not a scene that hasn’t been thoroughly thought through and not a character who hasn’t been dissected. That means a constantly rewarding intellectual challenge — such as the idea that, far from being helpless victims, Donna Anna and Zerlina are complicit in their dalliances with the Don. But all the many ideas come from within the opera, rather than the usual director’s whim.
Musically, it’s first-rate. Nicola Luisotti’s conducting is at once weighty, magisterial, exciting and fleet of foot.
All the principals are thoroughly immersed in their roles and there’s not a weak link, although, in truth, the riveting set offers the most real characterisation. The video screen which dominates the evening stays just this side of OTT.
Uniquely in my experience, the most outstanding performance is Antonio Poli’s Don Ottavio. Instead of the usual insipid and weedy cipher, Poli’s every note is beautiful and powerful.
This is not a production you’d want to live with, but definitely an interpretation that demands to be seen.
Fri, 07 Feb 2014 10:38:32 +0000Stephen Pollard115463 at http://www.thejc.comReturn of the Jewish nativehttp://www.thejc.com/comment-and-debate/comment/114308/return-jewish-native
<p>They’re back.</p>
<p>One of the many privileges of editing the JC is that my postbag helps me to sniff out the various “on trend” and “so last season” themes doing the rounds.</p>
<p>For a while it seemed as if there was one group that had almost disappeared from view. But I’ve noticed over the past few weeks that they’re back.</p>
<p>The AsAJew has returned.</p>
<p>You know who I mean. “As a Jew, I am disgusted by…” or “as a Jew, let me say how much I disagree with…”. </p>
<p>The AsAJews only ever come from one side of the fence: anti-Zionist, pro-boycott and anti-anti-antisemitism. Have you ever heard anyone say: “As a Jew, I must say how much I support Israel’s right to exist”, or “As a Jew, let me state how much I disagree with the idea of a boycott”?</p>
<p>This time round it’s David Ward, the LibDem MP who can’t resist antisemitic tweets, who’s brought the AsAJews back.</p>
<p>Whatever the issue, the letters follow a rigid template. They begin with the issue at hand. Then they state the view of the “Jewish establishment”. That’s followed by the “AsAJew” version of events.</p>
<p>So now it’s “David Ward tweeted…blah…distinction between criticising Israel and antisemitism…blah…Jewish establishment attack him…blah…want to shut down all debate…blah…don’t speak for all Jews…blah…AsAJew let me say that I admire Mr Ward’s refusal to be cowed by their attempts to paint all critics of Israel as antisemitic…”.</p>
<p>It could just as easily be boycotts. “BDS gaining ground…appalling how Israel’s defenders tar all critics with the label antisemite…AsAJew I am disgusted by Israel’s policy and urge a boycott.”</p>
<p>The AsAJew badge is the fulcrum around which their entire case is made. Mainstream Jewish opinion is overwhelmingly supportive of Israel, opposed to boycotts and intolerant of casual, let alone deliberate, antisemitism.</p>
<p>So they can’t speak on behalf of Jews as a whole. They need a device to break free of the double whammy of bad evidence and no support within the community of which they claim membership. That device is their AsAJew status. It grants them special authority to be listened to by non-Jews. “AsAJew I support a boycott.” In other words, “My AsAJew status means you non-Jews should pay extra attention to my words and so I’ve now given you the freedom to boycott Israel”.</p>
<p>Indeed, they imply, it’s precisely because they are a minority that they should be accorded special status, because theirs is the voice of real Judaism, unlike the Jewish establishment. They alone are ethical, pure and moral in their outlook. They are untainted by Zionism. </p>
<p>They’re entitled to their view, of course. </p>
<p>But since they base their entire case on their status AsAJew, I always want to ask them just one small question.<br />
AsAJew…when were you last in shul?</p>CommentIsrael boycott114308story

They’re back.
One of the many privileges of editing the JC is that my postbag helps me to sniff out the various “on trend” and “so last season” themes doing the rounds.
For a while it seemed as if there was one group that had almost disappeared from view. But I’ve noticed over the past few weeks that they’re back.
The AsAJew has returned.
You know who I mean. “As a Jew, I am disgusted by…” or “as a Jew, let me say how much I disagree with…”.
The AsAJews only ever come from one side of the fence: anti-Zionist, pro-boycott and anti-anti-antisemitism. Have you ever heard anyone say: “As a Jew, I must say how much I support Israel’s right to exist”, or “As a Jew, let me state how much I disagree with the idea of a boycott”?
This time round it’s David Ward, the LibDem MP who can’t resist antisemitic tweets, who’s brought the AsAJews back.
Whatever the issue, the letters follow a rigid template. They begin with the issue at hand. Then they state the view of the “Jewish establishment”. That’s followed by the “AsAJew” version of events.
So now it’s “David Ward tweeted…blah…distinction between criticising Israel and antisemitism…blah…Jewish establishment attack him…blah…want to shut down all debate…blah…don’t speak for all Jews…blah…AsAJew let me say that I admire Mr Ward’s refusal to be cowed by their attempts to paint all critics of Israel as antisemitic…”.
It could just as easily be boycotts. “BDS gaining ground…appalling how Israel’s defenders tar all critics with the label antisemite…AsAJew I am disgusted by Israel’s policy and urge a boycott.”
The AsAJew badge is the fulcrum around which their entire case is made. Mainstream Jewish opinion is overwhelmingly supportive of Israel, opposed to boycotts and intolerant of casual, let alone deliberate, antisemitism.
So they can’t speak on behalf of Jews as a whole. They need a device to break free of the double whammy of bad evidence and no support within the community of which they claim membership. That device is their AsAJew status. It grants them special authority to be listened to by non-Jews. “AsAJew I support a boycott.” In other words, “My AsAJew status means you non-Jews should pay extra attention to my words and so I’ve now given you the freedom to boycott Israel”.
Indeed, they imply, it’s precisely because they are a minority that they should be accorded special status, because theirs is the voice of real Judaism, unlike the Jewish establishment. They alone are ethical, pure and moral in their outlook. They are untainted by Zionism.
They’re entitled to their view, of course.
But since they base their entire case on their status AsAJew, I always want to ask them just one small question.
AsAJew…when were you last in shul?
Tue, 24 Dec 2013 11:31:18 +0000Stephen Pollard114308 at http://www.thejc.comHistory through the wine glass http://www.thejc.com/business/112985/history-through-wine-glass
<p>Château Chalon might be one of the most famous Jura wines but they are extremely difficult to get hold of. Thanks, however, to the Oracle Paradis Wine Fund’s tasting, organised to celebrate its purchase of a bottle of the 1781, I’ve now tasted five different vintages. </p>
<p>Chalon was famed even before the French Revolution, so rich and long is its history. There is no “château”; Chalon is a hill-top of 19 hectares. </p>
<p>The Savagnin grapes are harvested late and then aged in small oak barrels for a minimum of six years and three months — although some producers age their Vin Jaune, as it’s called, for over a decade.</p>
<p>Because the barrels are (deliberately) not airtight, nearly 40 per cent of the wine evaporates and, as with fino sherry, a thick yeast layer develops which prevents oxidisation and gives the wine its flavours.</p>
<p>The winemakers would have a fit if anyone tasted a bottle less than a decade old and I can attest that, with this white wine, the older the bottle, the better the wine. </p>
<p>I started with a 2002. It seems odd to describe it as young and sprightly, but that’s how it tastes — similar in astringency to the white produced by Château Musar in Lebanon.</p>
<p>We then jumped back to 1966, which seemed as if it was only now coming into its own! Its creamy nose gives it the smell of what I can only call a Jura Burgundy. If you can find a bottle you can expect to pay around £150.<br />
You might think a 1947 would be tired. You’d be wrong. Fresh and lightly golden, like a Sauternes, its after-taste fills the mouth and lingers. Expect to pay upwards of £800 for a bottle.</p>
<p>I’ve never tasted anything pre-war before. But the 1929 — a great vintage — isn’t even close to fading. Golden-brown and awe-inspiring. It’s around £1,500.</p>
<p>Then the pièce de résistance — a pre-phylloxera 1895, which would set you back at least £5,000. With an unbelievably powerful, perfumed nose, it tastes fresher than most modern wines. Delicate and poised, it’s perfectly toned and balanced. </p>
<p>I’ve never really thought of wine as moving before but tasting something that was created when my grandparents were born, before Europe had ripped itself apart in two world wars and before even the foundations of the modern world were laid was truly emotional. The tasting of a lifetime.</p>BusinessFood112985story

112980Bottles up! Fine time to invest in wine
Château Chalon might be one of the most famous Jura wines but they are extremely difficult to get hold of. Thanks, however, to the Oracle Paradis Wine Fund’s tasting, organised to celebrate its purchase of a bottle of the 1781, I’ve now tasted five different vintages.
Chalon was famed even before the French Revolution, so rich and long is its history. There is no “château”; Chalon is a hill-top of 19 hectares.
The Savagnin grapes are harvested late and then aged in small oak barrels for a minimum of six years and three months — although some producers age their Vin Jaune, as it’s called, for over a decade.
Because the barrels are (deliberately) not airtight, nearly 40 per cent of the wine evaporates and, as with fino sherry, a thick yeast layer develops which prevents oxidisation and gives the wine its flavours.
The winemakers would have a fit if anyone tasted a bottle less than a decade old and I can attest that, with this white wine, the older the bottle, the better the wine.
I started with a 2002. It seems odd to describe it as young and sprightly, but that’s how it tastes — similar in astringency to the white produced by Château Musar in Lebanon.
We then jumped back to 1966, which seemed as if it was only now coming into its own! Its creamy nose gives it the smell of what I can only call a Jura Burgundy. If you can find a bottle you can expect to pay around £150.
You might think a 1947 would be tired. You’d be wrong. Fresh and lightly golden, like a Sauternes, its after-taste fills the mouth and lingers. Expect to pay upwards of £800 for a bottle.
I’ve never tasted anything pre-war before. But the 1929 — a great vintage — isn’t even close to fading. Golden-brown and awe-inspiring. It’s around £1,500.
Then the pièce de résistance — a pre-phylloxera 1895, which would set you back at least £5,000. With an unbelievably powerful, perfumed nose, it tastes fresher than most modern wines. Delicate and poised, it’s perfectly toned and balanced.
I’ve never really thought of wine as moving before but tasting something that was created when my grandparents were born, before Europe had ripped itself apart in two world wars and before even the foundations of the modern world were laid was truly emotional. The tasting of a lifetime.
Thu, 07 Nov 2013 10:32:04 +0000Stephen Pollard112985 at http://www.thejc.com